Bushfoods, product or right?
Warlpiri elder, Yarmuna Oldfield, and her aging mother, Ruth Napaljarri, visit their traditional hunting grounds,in the south-west of the Northern Territory when they can, though not often enough. For both Ruth and Yarmuna, hunting and gathering bushfood is critical to their connection to culture and well-being. Ruth remembers the old days when the hunting was much better, when there were less invasive species such as buffel grass. The foods they hunt and gather vary according to the season and could be bush sultana, goanna, witchetty grub or bush onions.
Australian bushfoods are not just highly sought after by Aboriginal people connecting with their country. but in high end restaurants across Australia, native bushfoods, are giving many restaurants a competitive edge. This episode grapples with the issue of the commercialisation of bushfoods, from the perspective of the food industry and ofAboriginal people on country still wanting to hunt and gather.
Camels and Exploration
Every year, James Young spends three months preparing for a journey across the Tanami desert in a camel drawn wagon with his young family. This preparation includes making hand-made salami using wild meats and camel fat. A local leather artisan, James lives and looks like an early colonist. He is surrounded by old world tools, he makes all the leather saddlery for the camels and cooks damper every day rather than buying bread.
James and his partner Elliat have a deep affection for camels, and the treks are a way to keep this connection going and to hopefully pass it on to their children.
The role of the camel has been critical to the exploration and early settlement of Australia's deserts. Yet today, they number over a million and are a pest destroying waterholes and country. A small export industry for camel meat continues to operate and a developing camel milk industry, a reported ‘super-food’, has recently emerged.
This episode follows James and his family during the months of preparation and during the trek. Through this process we follow the history of the camel in Australia and look at their future.